The idea of a bicycle drive system that is absolutely maintenance-free and has an immense service life still has its fans. A test ride in local transport.
The slim folding Beixo Slim and its clever city bike concept originate from Holland. Its clean appearance reveals, at the latest at second glance, a peculiar construction: a drive shaft rotates in the right-hand chain stay. Instead of a chainring, chain and sprocket, this shaft and two right-angled bevel gears, one on the bottom bracket and the other on the rear wheel hub, transmit the Beixo rider's crank work to the rear wheel.
Rear wheel hub. We are familiar with this robust type of transmission from cars. However, this type of drive was never able to arouse much enthusiasm: Due to its design, it always remains heavier than a chain drive and also develops noticeably more friction losses due to the necessary double 90-degree deflections. The Beixo Slim is also a usable concept with great ambitions - but unfortunately not quite convincingly realised on the test bike.
The full-length article from issue 6/2011 is available as a free PDF download.
